Systems and techniques relating to interactive gaining are described. A described system includes one or more site servers providing game instances to one or more devices in communication with the one or more site servers via a wired network, a wireless network, or both. The system includes a server system in communication with the one or more site servers, and one or more wireless mobile devices in communication with the server system. The server system can be configured to provide information about one or more of the gaming instances at one or more sites to the one or more mobile devices; receive, from the one or more mobile devices, an indication of a selected gaming instance of the gaming instances; relay gaming information between the one or more site servers and the one or more mobile devices; and provide gaming content and one or more gaming functions to the site servers.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A system for allowing local game players using local gaming devices and players using personal mobile devices to participate in games against or with each other, comprising: a site server located at a venue configured to provide game instances within the venue to one or more local gaming devices in communication with the site server via a local wired network, a local wireless network, or both; a monitor coupled to the site server and located within the venue for displaying video information related to the game instances; a central server, remotely coupled to the site server via a wide-area data network and to the personal mobile devices via the cellular wide-area wireless network, configured to: simultaneously provide information about the availability of a plurality of game instances offered by a plurality of site servers from the central server to a player using a personal mobile device coupled to the central server via the wide-area wireless network; receive a request from the personal mobile device to participate in a first game instance of the plurality of game instances; in response to receiving the request, identify a site server of the plurality of site servers that provide the first game instance; provide the request to participate in the first game instance to the site server; and relay gaming information relating to the first game instance between the site server and the personal mobile device for the player to participate in the first game instance with the local game players.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the central server is further configured to: determine a location of the personal mobile device; and receive a request for information about any gaming instances at a gaming location that is in proximity to a location of the personal mobile device.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the central server is further configured to determine multiplayer score information among the local game players and the player.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the central server is further configured to: receive a video feed related to the first game instance from a video server; and provide the video feed to the personal mobile device and to the local gaming devices via the site server; wherein the local gaming players view the video feed on the monitor and the player views the video feed on the personal mobile device during game play.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the video feed comprises video information related to a sporting event.
6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the video feed related to the sporting event comprises real-time video.
7. The system of claim 4 , wherein the central server is further configured to provide synchronization information to the personal mobile device participating in the first game instance for the personal mobile device to synchronize game play on the personal mobile device to the video feed.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the central server is further configured to execute a game application that builds and coordinates game contests among the local game players and the player.
9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a second site server coupled to the central server and located at a second venue; wherein the central server is further configured to: determine a location of the personal mobile device; determine that the personal mobile device is within a predetermined distance from the second site server; and in response to determining that the personal mobile device is within a predetermined distance from the second site server, provide game instance availability related to gaming instances provided by the second site server to the personal mobile device.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the central server is further configured to: determine a location of the personal mobile device; and identify the site server based on the location of the personal mobile device.
11. A central game server for coordinating multiplayer game play among local game players using local gaming devices communicating with a site server located at a first venue and a player communicating with the game server using a personal mobile device over a wide-area data network, comprising: a network interface configured to send and receive gaming information to and from a mobile device server, the gaming information comprising a game instance identifier that identifies a particular gaming instance; a memory for storing computer program instructions; a processor configured coupled to the network interface and to the memory for executing the computer program instructions that causes the central game server to: receive location information from the personal mobile device; determine a location of the personal mobile device based on the location information; provide an identification of a plurality of gaming instances offered by one or more site servers proximate to the personal mobile device; receive a request to participate in a first game instance chosen from the plurality of gaming instances offed by the site servers; identify the site server associated with the selected first game instance; construct the first game instance between the local game players using the site server and the player; and receive game input from the local game players via the site server and game input from the player via the wide-area data network as a result of the local game players and the player viewing the first game instance on a video monitor located at the first venue.
12. The central game server of claim 11 , wherein the computer program instructions further comprise instructions that cause the game server to: receive an indication from the local gaming devices of a selection of the first gaming instance; and construct the first game instance to include the player and the local game players based on the indications received from the local gaming devices and the personal mobile device.
13. The central game server of claim 11 , wherein the computer program instructions further comprise instructions that cause the game server to: synchronize the identification of a plurality of gaming instances provided to the player with an identification of a plurality of gaming instances displayed by a video monitor located at the first venue.
14. The central game server of claim 11 , wherein the computer program instructions further comprise instructions that cause the game server to: determine multiplayer score information among the local game players and the player during game play.
15. The central game server of claim 11 , wherein the computer program instructions further comprise instructions that cause the game server to: receive a video feed related to the first game instance from a video server; and provide the video feed to the personal mobile device and to the local gaming devices via the site server; wherein the local gaming players view the video feed on the monitor and the player views the video feed on the personal mobile device during game play.
16. The central game server of claim 15 , wherein the video feed comprises video information related to a sporting event.
17. The central game server of claim 15 , wherein the video feed related to the sporting event comprises real-time video.
18. The central game server of claim 11 , wherein the computer program instructions further comprise instructions that cause the game server to: determine that the player is in proximity to the site server; provide only the identification of the plurality of gaming instances to the player that are available via the site server at the first venue.
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June 4, 2016
November 3, 2020
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